Gravity

This world cannot spin

as fast as your head,

it’s core does not burnt

as hot as the fire

in your chest;

it’s waves cannot crash

against mountains

just as hard as you

fall to your knees,

and seasons do not change

like your feelings.

Gravity

is all you have in common –

a graveness which is

holding you firm –

but even that pull is slipping,

and in orbit

you might soon be lost.

You Have No Rough Edges

You have

no notches,

chips

or cracks.

I am a chaos of

rough edges,

sharp corners,

hard lines.

And yet,

somehow you,

with all

your wonderful ways –

your need for

absolutely

no redeeming features –

make me feel as though

I am fully formed,

perfectly crafted;

a complete being

of worth and calm.

Never Believe You Can’t

Never believe you can’t:

all things are possible;

they need not be probable –

just stretch out

and reach for the stars.

Do Not Be Afraid

Do not be afraid of

dizzy moments

and shaking hands:

you can do this;

it can be solved,

and all is well.

Do not be afraid.

Of Peace

Would that you might

think of your darkest days

as merely

a time of sleep;

a place where

waking and good mood,

take up their respite

so that you might reprise

on higher ground

tomorrow.

To think of those times

in that way,

is to see them as naught

but a night’s rest,

which is of purest joy

and relaxation,

always –

of recovery

and peace

and recharge.

Quietly, then Thunder – A Haiku

At first, quietly,

then all at once you are here;

thunderous applause.

Applause

Quietly,

then all at once,

a thunderous applause,

pitched precisely to

the sound of your voice.

Unwrapped, Not At All

Your hands

are a gift

to be unwrapped slowly,

or not at all,

if that would mean

there was no letting go.

Lost Days and Rolling Thunder

These moments

will be known as

something like

The Lost Thursday;

The Missing Sunday.

And in those moments,

naught but void,

where hold

and speak and

feel should be;

where love can usually

be spoken –

out loud and all at once –

as if

a rolling thunder

inside of your chest.

The Fox and The Bear

The Fox

and the Bear

would share the trees

and divide the ground

between them;

they would walk the paths,

drink of the stream,

and – under stars –

try dreaming.

In those times

and on those nights,

they would rest and

explore together;

and when apart

they would still know

that their world

could last forever.

Across the Table

Nights full of

precious moments

are like

a winter feast,

where naught but satisfaction

can be found

in every glass,

on every plate,

and in siting across the table

from you.

How to Not Feel Accidental

You are not an over-

flowing glass of water,

or a snapped twig,

not drums

off-rhythm;

nor a tripped switch.

You are scarlet blood,

strong bones,

and a steady heartbeat;

impulse, instinct and emotion.

Nothing about you

was not meant to be.

All Things Bring The Sun

All things which are,

are changing;

all things which could be,

will come;

All things which need patience,

are worth waiting;

all things which feel dark,

bring the sun.

Take Your Time

Take your time;

the river

does not freeze

when she is slow –

only when she is cold,

but here

there is warmth:

take your time.

Thank Goodness for Each Part of You

Thank goodness

for your shoulders,

like steel girders

holding me up.

Thank goodness

for your fingers,

like fisherman’s rope

tying me safely to the dock.

Thank goodness

for your voice,

like birdsong

calming me on a cold morning.

Thank goodness

for each part of you.

Small Black Dog

There is,

in this town,

a small black dog;

quiet,

so he mostly stays –

easily forgot

– waiting in far corners,

needing naught.

Some days,

though,

he must to feast,

and so

casts grandest shadows

as he stands

ahead

of brightest lights

along the street.

Then –

of course

– the small black dog

is remembered;

felt

as a full-grown hound

who can but

open up its jaw

and reach out

in your direction.

You

Were it not

for you –

Infinite Motion

This

is a thing

of infinite motion;

ever

may it move.

Sometimes, Clouds – A Haiku

Sometimes there are clouds –

even on the brightest days;

breathe: this too shall pass.

Used to This

Pattern

is not tedium

and predictability;

it is comfort,

safety

and beauty.

I could

get used to this.

How To Stand Up

It is better

to raise your hand

in the air and

curl it into a fist,

than it is

to lower your head

to the ground

and curl into a ball.

Symphony

To spend a dark evening

in silence with you,

is to spend a lifetime

under the brightest of stars,

and in the echoes

of an endless symphony,

written only for us.

How to Tell the Truth

People

are built like puzzles:

straight edges

and sharp corners,

outside;

a mass of complications

in between.

But what they need

is the completed picture;

it is what you owe them,

even if this should be

something different

to the artwork on the box.

How To Tell Stories

Inside of your chest

is a little

red box,

which makes noise,

if you just listen

closely;

this thing,

with its rhythm,

beating its song,

seems like

a good place,

a good place to start.

Walking

To walk by your side

is a gift

that would make even

a thousand miles

in bare feet

feel as simple

as taking a breath.

Pressure

At least

under immense pressure

you would turn into

a diamond.

Then you might value yourself

just as highly.

How to Begin

A spinning globe

stopped promptly by a finger

cannot tell

where you will land

and more than

standing still

can take you to

the place at which you pointed.

The only thing to do

is move.

How To See Beauty

Clear stones

are just black rocks

that someone

took their time

to organise;

they are the same,

and so are you.

How to Keep Going

People are small

and new,

but the world

is old;

she planted you

years ago –

your only job

is to grow.

How To Let Your Heart Beat

If people worth loving

were really wolves,

they would already have

dragged you back to their den,

not waited every night

under the moon

for you to howl back at them.